4.3 stalls when shifted into gear ?

[SippyRat]

1987 Diplomat, 4.3, alpha :

Can anyone tell my why my motor stalls when I shift into gear? (forward & reverse) Thanks

 

[rhmapes]

You probably have a problem in the shift cable. You may need to clen and lube it, or repace it. It is probably setting off the safety switch. Hope this helps you.

 

[daren34]

check the oil level in the drive
if its ok then probably need to lube the lower shift cable
if the drive seems overfull put the top plug back in and take out the lower plug
should be clean fluid
if its milky rebuild the drive
daren

 

[SippyRat]

I researched this online after I posted the question. from what I've read, it could either be the lower shift cable or the shift interrupter. Both seem to be very important and dangerous when malfunctioning. The boot around my cable has a tear and leeks water into the bilge when on shore and not trimmed down which may be a contributing factor if the problem is cable related. I plan on taking it to the mercruiser techs tomorrow to have both the cable/boot and interrupter replaced. I am a do it yourselfer but this job requires special cable and alignment tools so I'll "pay" for this one.

 

[wca_tim]

It's not that bad to do... but i don't blame you for having it done... Sometimes it's just worth the cash not to have to gete up the learning curve for something like that...